


A Festive Surprise

by meowgon



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Party, F/F, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 16:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowgon/pseuds/meowgon
Summary: Eve wants to experience all the joys of an authentic Japanese Christmas, but do the other Pastel*Palettes girls know that?





	A Festive Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> A Secret Santa gift for horseshh on twitter! I hope you enjoy it!

Eve arranged the little green and red packages in front of her, then sat back with a sigh of appreciation. It had taken weeks for her order from Finland to arrive, but now the surprises were all tied up in gift bags and ready to share with her friends. She envisioned how they would smile when they tasted her favorite candy on Christmas Eve, just like she had as a child.

Of course, she hoped that they would share some Japanese traditions with her as well! Christmas may not be something the samurai knew about, but she was sure the spirit of bushido could still fill the season. The anticipation for the Pastel*Palettes Christmas live show and the inevitable party afterward had her beaming at every advertisement for fried chicken she saw in store windows.

She'd also been reading catalogs for Christmas cakes since they first started appearing in October. There were so many beautiful options! Not just the traditional whipped cream and strawberries, but also orange, raspberry cheesecake, or, best of all, beautiful matcha with dark chocolate that embodied the spirit of bushido. That one would be her personal choice, and she privately thought Maya would agree, but Hina, Aya, and Chisato might prefer another cake. 

She didn't mind. Whatever cake they picked for the party would be wonderful because they'd be sharing it together. Although no one had mentioned the details yet, for their first Christmas concert as a band, there must be a party in the making! 

\--

“Kaoru, you are blocking the way. Please move.”

“The only barrier between us is the lingering absence of your fairly won kiss, my angel! Release me from this suffering and I shall be yet moved!”

Chisato shook her head and stepped off the sidewalk, neatly skirting around Kaoru and her absurd costume. Kaoru turned and followed her, though she was clumsy thanks to the large clump of dangling mistletoe swinging in front of her face from a pole attached to a headband.

“I know that you may be jealous of the other little kittens who have received them thus far, but I promise I've saved my sweetest kiss for your fair hand--Ah!” The mistletoe smacked her right in the eye. Chisato took this moment of weakness to speed up. 

“Chisato, come back! What about--!”

\--

“Chisato-san!” Eve called out happily when Chisato entered. Despite her excitement, she didn’t hug her like she'd hugged the others when they arrived. She remembered that Chisato's shyness about hugs. 

“Eve-chan, good afternoon,” Chisato said with a smile as she set down her bag with the others. Eve noticed that her cheeks were flushed, undoubtedly from excitement about their upcoming show. Eve rocked on her heels, again resisting the urge to give her a big hug. 

“Where are the others?” Chisato asked. 

“They're getting into their costumes! We'll be next, then we'll be ready for the show!”

“So soon! I'm sorry I missed our warm-ups. I was a little… busy.” Chisato didn't quite meet her gaze. 

Eve stared at her with her eyes shining. Oh, could it be she was busy because of planning for the after-show Christmas party? 

It was then that the door to the dressing room slammed open, revealing Hina, Maya, and Aya in their velvet red and white dresses. Hina bound in first, a Santa hat on her head and stars in her eyes. Aya followed her, tinkling gently from the golden bells tied around the base of her pigtails. Maya was last, with red and gold ribbons braided into the bangs framing her face. Eve clapped with delight at the sight of all three of them together. 

“The finished outfits are so boppin'!” Hina cried as she reached out and snagged Chisato's hands. “You've got to change now!”

“Yes, naturally,” Chisato said with a smile as she quickly extracted her hands from Hina's grasp. Hina didn't seem to mind, as she turned right away to grab Eve's hands. 

“Eve-chan, you're going to be super cute! Go go go!” 

Eve giggled and bounced up and down with Hina. This was almost too much excitement! 

\--

“Thank you for sharing your Christmas Eve with us!” Aya called breathlessly to the cheering crowd. Sweat dripped down each band member's face, but they all held their finishing poses and smiled. Eve wanted to clap for Aya too - she'd been so cool doing the lines she practiced - but she stayed stoic. 

Once they were backstage in the dressing room, she finally got the chance to give Aya a big victory hug. 

“You did all of your lines so well! You were amazing, Aya-san!”

“You really think so?” Aya wiped at her eyes, but Eve couldn't tell if she was wiping away tears or sweat. 

“Absolutely! You have a true warrior's spirit!”

Aya giggled and didn't say anything as she tugged at the bells around her pigtails. Eve wasn't sure if she believed her… 

“Your practice did pay off today,” Chisato said primly as she removed the elf ears the makeup artist had put on her before the show. (Chisato had been so pretty as one of Santa's elves! Eve thought the striped stockings looked very mature on her.)

“Chisato-chan…!” Aya's eyes spilled over visibly this time. 

“You know, you don't have to cry at every compliment,” Hina said with a laugh. She was already half out of her costume, the Santa hat flung across the table in front of her. Costumes never could contain her for long after a show. 

“Aya-san doesn't always cry,” Maya objected, then continued after a moment, “A-and it'd be fine if she did! ...Uh, could someone help me unbraid these?”

“I can!” Eve hurried over, nearly knocking into the lights with her large reindeer horns. She'd been delighted when the costume designer gave her the reindeer horns. They reminded her of Nuutinpäivä, which she’d tried to explain to her friends with little success. She didn't think it was that complicated… but Japanese traditions _were_ more straightforward.

She nearly hit the lights again as she shot up from unbraiding Maya's hair.

“Oh, is it time for the party? Are we going to have the cake and chicken soon?” She turned to look at the others, who were all in various stages of removing their costumes and makeup. The blinked at her, then exchanged glances. 

“Eve-san… my hair…” Maya said weakly behind her. Eve looked down and realized she still had the ribbon attached to Maya's bangs in her hand. 

“Oh, I'm sorry!” She sat back down and carefully untangled the rest of the ribbon from Maya's hair. “I've just been so excited about our Christmas party,” Eve said. 

“What Christmas party is that, Eve-chan?” Chisato asked, even as Aya tugged at her arm and made shushing gestures. 

“Oh no, Eve-chan thought we planned a Christmas party, but we didn't!” Hina leaned forward, her hands on her hips. “That's such a shame! A party would have been really fun.”

“You guys! Don't tell her so bluntly…” Aya said, but the damage was done.

The shock hit Eve like a tsunami. She felt the weight of her reindeer horns as she dropped her head toward the floor. No party…? But what about all the traditions…? Didn't friends have parties, and who were better friends than Pastel*Palettes? 

A gentle hand lay on Eve's arm, making her look up. Maya smiled at her kindly. 

“It's usually more of a family thing, you know? We didn't realize you wanted to…” 

“I-I must have misunderstood…” Eve felt tears rise to her eyes. “I’m sorry…”

“Don't be sorry, Eve-chan!” Aya interrupted in a loud voice. Her own eyes shined with tears, but there was passion in her voice. “We let you down by not knowing, but we can make up for it!” 

“Yeah, I can always do stuff with Onee-chan when I get back. A last minute Christmas party has boppin’ potential, don't you think?”

“Well, I have no other plans,” Chisato said. 

With a tug, Maya removed the heavy reindeer horns from Eve's head. The two of them shared a smile. 

“There must be somewhere in town with chicken and Christmas cake left! We can find it together. Err, once we finished getting changed, that is,” Maya finished with an awkward laugh. 

\--

Eve remembered again and again during the quest for chicken that she had the best friends in the world. They took on the mission to find food for their emergency party like they were honor-bound by their promise. 

KFC was a nightmare, with lines down the block, but Aya offered to stand in line while they went to get cake. It was kind, but Eve refused to leave a fellow warrior behind. Chisato recommended a grocery store might be a better option, but the Daiei and Aeon supermarkets they checked were both down to grilled chicken breasts and nothing else. 

It was Hina, thinking outside the box, who recommended the small fried chicken stand outside the station. When they arrived, few business people were standing line, but it was nothing like the madness they'd seen at other options. 

“It's even better in the cold,” Hina said as she munched on a crispy chicken leg. 

“It's so good,” Eve whispered, her eyes shining at each juicy bite. Hina was right. The cold reddening her nose highlighted the comfort of the warm chicken. 

All of them were pink-cheeked and smiling when they finished their chicken. The success had warmed them almost as much as the food. 

“Now, where do you propose we go for cake?” Chisato asked. 

“The grocery story didn't have any…” Maya said with a sigh. 

“Of course not! They do it all by pre-orders. My mom bought our family cake weeks ago,” Hina-said. 

“Same as the convenience stores and bakeries, unfortunately,” Aya said. 

“Is there any hope…?” Eve looked between the four of them, her heart tight.

With an uncharacteristically loud sigh, Chisato pulled out her phone and started typing. 

“Ooo, who's that? Spill! You've got a secret cake source?” Hina practically vibrated as she tried to see Chisato's screen. Chisato turned away from her without saying anything. The two of them rotated around several times in a dance of avoidance that made Eve giggle. 

Eventually, Chisato locked her phone and slipped it back in her bag, ignoring Hina’s “Aw!” of disappointment.

“She'll bring it,” Chisato said. “We should find a place to meet… preferably not in public.”

“We can go to my house!” Eve volunteered eagerly. 

\--

The Christmas party continued on in Eve's home, where she made them cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows while they waited for the mystery guest. Chisato remained tight lipped about who it was, despite Hina's frequent pestering. The tension in the room ran high as everyone waited. 

When the doorbell rang, there was a clattering chairs and “I'll get its” but Hina skidded to the door first. No one was really surprised. 

“Kaoru-kun! Ha, I should have known!”

Kaoru stepped inside, dressed all in green and dangling mistletoe from her head. 

“Oh, if it's not one of my most energetic little kittens. Merry Christmas, my dear. Would you like to receive the kiss that fate has bestowed upon you?” She gestured upward at her mistletoe contraption. 

Hina touched the bundle of leaves with curious fingers, then batted at it like a cat. Kaoru winced backward, just a touch, from the swinging leaves. 

“Haha, too funny! Sure, I'll take my kiss!” Hina turned her cheek to Kaoru, tapping with one finger. “Right here, okay?”

“As you've selected, m'lady…” The kiss she placed on Hina's cheek was soft and chaste. 

Chisato cleared her throat loudly as the two separated. 

“Are you finished?” 

“Quite finished, Chisato. As Shakespeare said: the bright day is done, and we are for the dark! Take your prize, sweet kittens!”

As if revealing a sacred object, Kaoru lifted up the bag she was carrying and removed a large cake box. A collective gasp went through the room. Eve could barely hold back tears of happiness. It was a miracle! 

\--

After the cake was eaten, the party lingered on, with the girls chatting over tea and cookies. 

“So, Kaoru-san, you just… had a spare Christmas cake?” Maya asked slowly. 

Kaoru nodded dramatically, free to do so as Chisato had confiscated her mistletoe contraption early in the party. 

“It is times like these that try women's souls, and I am prepared for any emergency! To think that Eve's dream could have been shattered… such a fleeting thing, hope…! Thinking about it truly moves me.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Kaoru-san,” Eve said, smiling ear to ear. “Oh-- but I almost forgot!” Eve stood up in a rush, moving back to the entryway to grab her bag.

“Everyone, I have a surprise! My favorite candy from Finland!” 

Beaming, she passed around the gift bags to each person. She had prepared a few extra for the staff at their agency, so she even had enough to pass one to Kaoru. 

There was a murmur of interest and thanks as everyone opened their bags to reveal the shiny candy inside. One by one, they each tried a piece. 

“Ohh…” 

“Ahhh…?”

“Umm…”

“Hmm…”

“Wow, Eve-chan, what the heck is this weird stuff?” Hina asked. She stuck her tongue out with the black candy still hanging onto it. 

“It's my favorite: licorice!” Eve said proudly. 

Kaoru, with her arms crossed and eyes closed, said in her noble voice:

“It is a lovely gift, Eve. Almost… almost too good to eat.”

(She did not notice her friends quietly removing the pieces of candy while she went to get more tea.) 

\--

Once the evening had wound down, with many yawns and sleepy stretches all around, Eve escorted all of her friends out. She offered them more licorice from her bag of reserve, but they were all full from the other snacks that night. 

Kaoru and Chisato were the last to go. Eve bowed low to Kaoru in thanks, then waved to both of them before shutting the door on one of the best parties she'd ever experienced. That night, she fell asleep with a huge smile on her face. 

\--

Chisato walked with Kaoru, slower this time now that she was tired. The evening had turned into much more than a successful show, and she had to admit to herself, it was fun.

“You're lucky we had a use for that cake,” she said after a long silence. 

“You know that I respect the traditions of our foremothers, and to not purchase a cake for my Chisato seemed uncouth. We have such history!”

“You're absurd,” she sighed.

“But it had a purpose in the end. My fleeting whim turned out to warm the heart of more than just you. I feel truly blessed.”

“I do have to thank you, I suppose.” She smiled, though not in Kaoru's direction. “Merry Christmas, Kaoru.”

“Merry Christmas! Would you like your kiss now, my kitten?” 

Chisato quickly put her mittened hand over Kaoru's mouth. 

“Absolutely not.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Christmas away from Japan in several years so I leaned hard into the nostalgia. It accidentally got a little Eve/Maya when I was writing it... So if you like that ship, it was there! If you don't, it was just a coincidence!
> 
> Thank you to my lovely friend Ella for answering all sorts of questions about Christmas in Finland as well. You were a huge help!


End file.
